There's Money in Green: October 2010

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Yes, You Can Have Clean Air, Water and Food

I promised myself that I will post an article on or before October 31. I've been busy with my studies on Blog Entrepreneurship which require me to launch a blog with at least ten posts so I was remiss in maintaining this blog.

Been wanting to write something on Ozein Four-Stage Air Purifying System for quite sometime. I saw it at a recent Couples for Christ gathering being demonstrated to prospective buyers by Bro. Mark Banzon. I got curious when I saw a whole chicken soaked in water being sanitized using Ozein. What caught my attention was the bubble-like white thing that formed on top of the chicken. Bro. Mark told me that the white thing represent the toxins from the medicines/chemicals that were ingested by the chicken while being fattened. He said that the machine could also remove from the vegetables the pesticides and fertilizers that accumulated on the foliage or outer covering/surface. I cringed at the thought of all these chemicals that enter our body. I am feeding my family garbage disguised as food! With this realization, I ordered a unit immediately from Sis. Nympha Padolina, Bro. Mark's downline.

Aside from removing the chemicals from food, Ozein air purifier could first and foremost purify the air that you breathe. It is a given that our environment is so polluted that pulmonary diseases are rampant nowadays. Since I developed asthma quite late in my life, I am taking medication to avoid attacks. The medicine that I inhale twice a day leave me with palpitations after each session. I am hypertensive but have to inhale my asthma medicine so I will not be coughing all day long. After Sis. Nympha delivered the Ozein, I stopped from inhaling my asthma medicine to test if it really does wonders for asthma victims like me. I am happy to report that I don't need my asthma inhaler if I am at home. I only use it when I am out of the house.

With the ozonator hose and stone that come with the air purifier, I can have purified water from my faucet. Now I don't have to order drinking water from the nearby water refilling station. This translates to a monthly savings of P1,000.

Clean living is not only a choice but rather a commitment. Clean air and water is no longer available today but it is not yet late to have one. It requires a commitment from each one of us.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Is The Air Really Cleaner in the Rural Areas?

During the incumbency of President Arroyo, "holiday economics" was a byword. The Arroyo administration believed that shifting the observance of holidays to the nearest Friday or Monday would reduce disruption to business and production schedules and at the same time promote domestic tourism. Everyone was encouraged to flock to the tourist attraction of choice to escape the hustle and bustle of city life and be able to breathe fresh air, eat fresh food. Once in the province, one doesn't need a car to go from one place to the other as there is the ubiquitous tricycle. The tricycle is everywhere specially on smaller roads where jeepneys and buses are not allowed to operate. But if we are to believe DENR Sec. Paje's report that one of the main pollutants of the environment is the tricycle, is the air really cleaner in the provinces?

The tricycle is the main mode of transport in the rural areas and parts in the urban areas where streets are narrow for jeepneys and buses. 84% of the country's population depends on the tricycles to bring them to school, work, and wherever. There are roughly 2 million tricycles of which 70% have two-stroke engines. The Clean Air Act of 1999 calls for the phasing out of two-stroke engines as they are prone to pollute the air more as they emit more particulate matter than four-stroke engines. Two-stroke engines have lower fuel efficiency. It is estimated that 15-40% of the fuel-air mixture escape from the engine through the exhaust port. These "scavenging losses" contain high level of unburned gasoline and lubricant and increase the emissions of hydrocarbons, particulate matters and visible smoke. The government though cannot just ban the use of the existing two-stroke tricycles as banning will put a lot of tricycle drivers without livelihood.

Not all is lost for two stroke tricycles. Low-smoke, environment-friendly lubricants are already available. Lubricants are mixed with the gasoline at the ratio of 200 ml lubricant for every 4 liters of gasoline. These lubricants, made from vegetable-derived esters (VDE), lubricate well, mix well with the gasoline that prevents unburned gasoline and lubricant, and make the engines perform more efficiently. With the above stated advantages of vegetable-based lubricants, tricycle drivers can expect their motorcycles to perform better, have fuel savings, have cleaner engines and at the same time help in protecting and nurturing the environment. There is no need to phase out two-stroke motorcycles if these biodegradable and environment-friendly lubricants are used. And we could also start breathing fresh air again.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20070725-78742/Holiday_economics_now_a_law

http://www.thepoc.net/breaking-news/breaking-stories/9751-denr-air-pollution-in-metro-worse.html

http://www.philsol.nl/news/03/CleanAir01-jan03.htm

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

What Kind of Air Do We Breathe?

Image via Wikipedia

Two months ago, I had colds. What struck me as odd was I was the first one to have it in the house. Usually I was the last one to get it, that is after all the people in the house has been infected by it. Days passed and I was already coughing. I started taking medicines for both colds and cough so as not to be sidelined for so long. The colds medicine worked but the ones for my cough did not. I also observed a wheezing sound coming from my breath. I immediately suspected asthma and my doctor confirmed it. It was a bitter pill to swallow that I have asthma at this age, not when I was in my elementary days, but now. Aside from my medication for hypertension, I am now taking one, rather inhaling one, for asthma. I feel insecure if I don't have my inhaler in my bag when I leave the house.

What is asthma? Asthma is the disease that affects the airways of the lungs and is caused by the on-going inflammation of these airways.

Asthma affects all ages, although it is more common in younger people. The frequency and severity of asthma attacks tend to decrease as a person ages. Asthma is the most common chronic disease of children. It cannot be cured but luckily, it can be controlled if diagnosed and treated early. If you have parents who have asthma, chances are you will get it too. Exposure to airborne allergens like dust mites, dander of animals and irritants like tobacco smoke contributes to making your airways sensitive when you breathe.

I asked myself why there are more cases of asthma nowadays. Aside from the reasons above, people tend to stay more indoor thus exposing them to indoor allergens like dust mites and molds. People nowadays are also shielded from infection compared to the older generation thus the immune systems tend to be sensitive. Lastly, the air we breathe now is more polluted than before. According to Secretary Paje of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the air pollution measured by total suspended particles (TSP) in the air, in Metro Manila has worsen since last year. TSP is the total solid and liquid suspended particles in air. The major sources are diesel vehicles and coal-powered power plants. Last year, TSP was 134 micrograms (ug)/Normal cubic meters (Ncm) which was already 48% beyond the normal standard of 90 micrograms (ug)/Normal cubic meters (Ncm). Early this year, TSP was at 163. Now I understand why I belatedly got asthma. The air that we breathe is getting worse.

According to a World Bank study in 2007, pollution is already the major cause of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases in the Philippines. More than 50% of the medicines bought or sold in the country is for the cure of respiratory diseases.

Sec. Paje said that the main pollutants are the jeepneys, buses and tricycles or the transport sector which accounts to 80% of the pollution load. The remaining 20% is by industries. The DENR, bent on cutting down the TSP by 30% in 2011, said that it will be stricter in the conduct of emission testing by the Land Transportation Office. Installation of CCTV cameras in the emission testing centers to ensure that all vehicles undergo the testing is one measure that will be undertaken. Aside from being vigilant, the government can also encourage more motorists to fill their fuel pumps with biodiesel or ethanol and maintain same vehicles with green lubricants from vegetable-derived esters.

Though as ordinary citizens we are not in a position to rein in the irresponsible practices of the transport and power industries, we can do our share. We can start with the vehicles in our garages by adhering to regular maintenance program and being sensitive to ways that contribute to pollution.

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/asthma/article_em.htm
http://www.thepoc.net/breaking-news/breaking-stories/9751-denr-air-pollution-in-metro-worse.html
http://www.denr.gov.ph/article/articleview/5827/1/39/

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